Norway’s Therese Johaug celebrating her victory in the 30 k freestyle at 2011 World Championships in Oslo, Norway.

By Aleks Tangen

On Wednesday, Anti-Doping Norway handed its cross-country skiing superstar Therese Johaug a two-month provisional suspension after she tested positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol. Since the Norwegian Ski Federation’s press release and subsequent press conference last Thursday, Oct. 13, much has made it into the news and here is status of her case at this point:

Norwegian national broadcaster NRK published an article on Wednesday explaining what the suspension will mean to Johaug. She is not allowed to compete until Dec. 18 and will therefore miss a total of four World Cup weekends, where based the previous season’s price money, she could have potentially earned more than 700,000 Norwegian kroners, (roughly $86,000 U.S. dollars with the current exchange rate), according to both NRK and Norwegian tabloid Dagbladet.

In addition, Johaug will not be allowed to use any of the Norwegian Olympic Committee’s facilities or train with the Norwegian national team. However, Dagbladet reported that she’ll be able to train with teammates like Marit Bjørgen and Ingvild Flugstad Østberg in their free time.

NRK’s expert Fredrik Aukland, a former coach of Johaug, told NRK that training on her own could be dramatic for the 28-year-old Johaug. Her lawyer, Christian B. Hjort, says that she has accepted the decision and train as best as possible during the suspension.

But that might not be the whole story, according to sports attorney Gunnar-Martin Kjenner, who believes Johaug may have to wait until Easter in early April before she can receive her sentence. He told NRK that the 2016/2017 season may be over for Johaug before it has even started. Kjenner is the author of the book Sport and Law, a leading refference for legal matters in Norwegian sports law and regulation, and he represented Norwegian race walker Erik Tysse, who, in 2010, received a two-year ban after testing positive for Cera, commonly reffered to as EPO. Kjenner said he believes a sentence will be delivered between January and April 2017. Kjenner explains that these types of cases tend to take several months to carry out investigations.

Another NRK article specifies that the suspension means that Anti-Doping Norway assumes that Johaug’s final sentence will be at least two months long, which is based on Anti-Doping Norway’s own regulations. Anti-doping Norway has declined to comment on the length of the investigation.

Johaug and Anti-Doping Norway in Disagreement

During the press conference last Thursday, Oct. 13, Johaug said, “I’m going to show everyone how innocent I am in this case.” In a press release this Wednesday, Oct. 19, Anti-Doping Norway stated, “that the prosecution committee is of the opinion that the athlete cannot be without guilt.”The leader of the prosecution committee elaborated on this to NRK, saying,“Johaug didn’t thoroughly investigate the content of the lip cream, which she is required to do and therefore a suspension is warranted.”

Both NRK and Norwegian tabloid VG have reported that Johaug did receive the tube and the packaging it came in where there is a sign that says, “Doping”. In another article, VG reports that the packaging contained a leaflet with a warning in Italian. That warning says, “The use of this drug without therapeutic need constitutes doping and may result in a positive drug test.”The article did not specify whether or not Johaug speaks Italian.

Lawyer Randi Gustad, a former professional handball player and sports commentator, tweeted on Friday, Oct. 14, that she “doesn’t understand why everyone is so concerned with the packaging when the extenuating circumstance with regards to a punishment is the advice from the doctor.”

Johaug’s attorney told Norwegian TV2 that they disagree with the prosecution committee’s basis for the suspension since all aspects of the case have to be revealed. But they do however accept the decision.

Johaug said in a statement released by the Norwegian Ski Federation that she takes the decision “with a heavy heart,” but “accepts it” and is now focused on working toward a full acquittal.

When asked by VG on Thursday, Oct. 20, if Johaug will talk to press in the near future, her manager Joern Ernst says “We’re taking this day by day, we’ll see. All of this is really about one thing; Therese. There’s no strategy or tactic, it’s all about her.”

Robin Mackenzie-Robinson, an expert in Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rulings, told VG that he guessed Johaug would receive minimum one-year ban based on applicable laws in the Norwegian Confederation of Sports and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code.

An interesting question has been raised in light of this case. Bjørgen, Johaug’s teammate and Olympic, World Championship and World Cup winner, asked the question, “Is it all worth it?” in an interview with TV2 last Friday. She went on to say, “Maybe I should stop and do something else.” She received support from Østberg and Olaf Tufte, a Norwegian rower, who won gold in the 2004 Athens Olympics, 2008 Beijing Olympics, and silver in the 2000 Sydney Games, and bronze this summer in Rio.

“Is it worth doing professional sports when so much can happen from so little and the risks of having your career ruined is so unimaginably great?” Tufte told TV2.

When asked if he is evaluating his own future, he answered, “Like Marit said, ‘Is it worth it?’”

He gave an example, saying that he, a 40-year-old man, cannot consume cough syrup because it contains Efedrin, which is an illegal substance according to doping regulations, but that his 6-year-old son is allowed to do so.

In spite of all this, Johaug appears to have her nation’s popular opinion on her side. On Friday, VG published the result of a questionnaire conducted by Infact.no, which concluded that only 14.4 percent of the Norwegian people think she’s fully responsible for what happened. When asked if their trust in Johaug has been weakened, almost 80 percent answered, “Not changed or strengthened.”It is worth noting that since these findings were published, evidence of Johaug’s negligence have surfaced. But this might not have mattered much to her fans. On Wednesday, NRK reported that the sales from her clothing line skyrocketed since news of her positive drug test were revealed. Active Brands Nordic Director Oystein Braata, the owner of the Johaug brand, said in the same article, “the previous weekend was the best one we’ve ever had”.

Lifetime ban no more? The former head coach of the Finnish cross-country team Kari-Pekka Kyrö, who was at the epicenter of his team’s doping scandal at the 2001 Lahti World Championships, may be a free agent after the Finnish Ski Federation recently overturned his lifetime ban, Ski-Lines reported on Sunday.

But first, that decision must be approved by Finland’s Anti-Doping Agency and the International Ski Federation (FIS). According to FIS Secretary General Sarah Lewis, in such cases, FIS trusts the national federations’ decisions.

Under Kyrö, six Finnish skiers — Janne Immonen, Jari Isometsä, Harri Kirvesniemi, Mika Myllylä, Milla Jauho, and Virpi Kuitunen — tested positive for banned substances, allegedly used to disguise their use of erythropoietin (EPO). As part of his punishment, Kyrö had to pay a fine for importing illegal drugs into his country.

“All these years, it was very hard,” Kyrö, 52, said. “This [coaching] is the only profession in which I have a degree and I know. In social and professional terms, it was a very severe punishment.”

FIS Cross-Country would like to learn from its fans and followers, athletes, teams and the media what they like about the FIS Cross-Country World Cup in its current format and what should be changed in future.

In order to collect as much feedback as possible a survey has been prepared in multiple languages.

FasterSkier contributing photographer John Lazenby has posted the following galleries from the first three stops and four stages of the 2016 Ski Tour Canada (in Gatineau, Montreal and Quebec City). Special thanks to John. See all of his images at Lazenbyphoto.com.

The all-Norwegian women’s podium at the final stage of the Ski Tour Canada, the 10 k classic pursuit, with winner Therese Johaug (c), Heidi Weng (l) in second and Ingvild Flugstad Østberg (r) in third.

Saturday was a good day to be a favorite — and an overall World Cup leader as who have been beating out the masses all season won the final race of 2015/2016 and last stage of the Ski Tour Canada (STC), the classic pursuits in Canmore, Alberta.

Norway’s Therese Johaug raced from second to first in the women’s 10-kilometer classic pursuit, overcoming a 30-second starting deficit and beating teammate Heidi Weng by 1:07.8 minutes in 34:12.4. Weng shook her head in disappointment at the finish after being unable to hang with Johaug, both the Overall and Distance World Cup winner, after Johaug caught her around 4 k and dropped Weng shortly thereafter.

“I cannot believe that I win this Tour because it’s three sprint races …,” Johaug said in a post-race interview with FIS. “Everybody knows that I’m good in [the final climb of the Tour de Ski], but here it is normal track and not a lot of hills. For me, it was a goal to win this Tour because I never thought I could win here. .. It’s so good to finish the season with a victory here.”

Ingvild Flugstad Østberg made it an all-Norwegian STC podium in third, 2:13.3 back, and Krista Parmakoski of Finland raced from sixth for fourth (+2:56.2) with the fastest time of day in 33:41.8.

American Jessie Diggins started fifth and held her position, after being passed by Parmakoski (who started 7 seconds behind her) then overtaking Norway’s Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen, the fourth starter, while clinging to Parmakoski. Diggins finished fifth (+3:08.5), ahead of Jacobsen in sixth (+4:12), and Diggins posted the third-fastest time of day (after Johaug’s second fastest time).

Jessie Diggins (U.S. Ski Team) started fifth and finished fifth overall in the Ski Tour Canada in the final stage, the 10 k classic pursuit, on Saturday in Canmore, Alberta.

“I don’t see myself as leading the team; I see myself as being the team cheerleader,” Diggins said after. “That’s my role and I’m really proud to be in that role. I’m really proud of our whole team this season.”

Two other Finnish skiers landed in the top 10, with Kerttu Niskanen in seventh (+5:20.5) and Anne Kyllönen in eighth (+5:34.8). Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk placed ninth (+6:55.7) and Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla — a sprint specialist who did not complete the Tour de Ski earlier in the season — took 10th (+7:07.8).

American Sadie Bjornsen started 11th and held her position for 11th overall (+7:12.4), about a second ahead of Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla in 12th. A third U.S. Ski Team (USST) member, Rosie Brennan placed 24th (+12:28.5) while Chelsea Holmes (Alaska Pacific University) ended her first tour in 31st (+15:12.5). Caitlin Gregg (USST/Team Gregg) placed 33rd, Ida Sargent (Craftsbury Green Racing Project/USST) was 34th, and Katharine Ogden (Stratton Mountain School/USST) 36th.

Emily Nishikawa, a leading member of Canada’s Senior Development Team, was the top Canadian in 37th and Cendrine Browne (Pierre-Harvey National Training Centre/CNST) placed 40th.

Norway’s Martin Johnsrud Sundby celebrates winning the 2016 Ski Tour Canada by nearly a minute after starting with a 39-second deficit in third at the beginning of Saturday’s 15 k classic pursuit in Canmore, Alberta.

In the men’s 15 k classic pursuit, Norway’s Martin Johnsrud Sundby wasted no time tackling a 39-second deficit and racing from third to first, leading Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov and Norway’s Petter Northug (who started second, 32 seconds after Ustiugov) early on the second of four laps at the Canmore Nordic Centre.

At 5.9 k, Sundby had built a 13.2-second lead on Ustiugov, while Northug trailed about a second farther back in third. However, the end of the lap, halfway through the race, Ustiugov and Northug had reined Sundby back in — almost. There at 7.5 k, Ustiugov was 6.7 seconds back and Northug 16.6 seconds behind. About two kilometers later, Sundby had increased his lead once again, 21 seconds ahead of Ustiugov and 48 seconds ahead of Northug.

Alex Harvey (Canadian World Cup Team) closing out the 2016 Ski Tour Canada in fifth overall while Norway’s third-place finisher Petter Northug receives some attention on the ground after collapsing in exhaustion at the finish.

The leader of both the overall and Distance World Cup, Sundby went on to win the race in 47:24.1, while Ustiugov took second 57.7 seconds later and Northug crossed the line, absolutely spent, nearly a minute later in third (+1:52.5).

“I had my doubts today, man, but you know, final race of the season, I just had to try,” Sundby said in a post-race interview with FIS. “I had to put it all out there today and just go for it. There was no point to go for third today.”

It marked his third-consecutive Crystal Globe (overall World Cup victory).

“I’m sick this is not healthy,” Sundby joked. “But I’m so happy and what a way to finish out the season for me. … Let’s go party now.”

France’s Maurice Manificat rose from seventh to fourth (+2:18.4) with the fastest time of day in 45:54.6, while Canada’s Alex Harvey placed fifth (+2:53.9) after starting fourth and skiing solo for the first half of the race.

Finland’s Matti Heikkinen finished the Tour in sixth, 12.9 seconds after Harvey and 3:06.8 behind Sundby, after starting ninth. Heikkinen had the second fastest time of day, 10.6 seconds behind Manificat.

“I thought there was no way I would get caught, but I got caught,” Harvey said after starting fourth, 1:19 ahead of Norway’s Finn Hågen Krogh, who began the race in fifth. Manificat started another 19 seconds later, following Norway’s Emil Iversen in sixth.

“I have a lot of bad days in my career. It’s just one of them,” Harvey continued. “There’s nothing to worry about. You can’t be on top everyday.”

On Friday, Finland’s Matti Heikkinen, 32, won his first World Cup race since 2011, chasing down the time of Russia’s Evgeniy Belov and beating it at the line in the men’s 15-kilometer freestyle individual start by 13.6 seconds in 35:16.3 in the seventh stage of the Ski Tour Canada in Canmore, Alberta.

Belov had initially commanded the race, holding off Canada’s Alex Harvey by 8.1 seconds at the finish. But the two wouldn’t end up going 1-2. Instead, Heikkinen bumped Belov to second, and Sweden’s Marcus Hellner slotted into third, 13.9 seconds behind Heikkinen and just 0.3 seconds behind Belov.

Harvey missed the podium by 7.8 seconds and ended up 21.7 seconds out of first.

Overall Tour leader Sergey Ustiugov of Russia placed 12th, and is now 32.3 seconds ahead of Northug in the standings with one stage to go.

Sundby is 39.6 seconds back in third heading into Saturday’s final 15 k classic pursuit, and Harvey remains in fourth (+2:10.3). Krogh is fifth (+3:29), Norway’s Emil Iversen is sixth (+3:37.1), and France’s Maurice Manificat is seventh (+3:47.9).

Heikkinen improved to ninth (+4:25.7), 10 seconds behind Holund in eighth, and Hellner is up to 10th (+5:23.3).

Babikov moved into 15th (+7:43.5).

Canada had three in the top 20 in the 15 k with Devon Kershaw in 20th, 1:30 behind the winner. He is 17th overall, 31 seconds behind France’s Jean Marc Gaillard in 16th. Graeme Killick was the fourth Canadian in the points in 29th (+1:48.4) for 27th overall.

Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Østberg took the lead by the 6.9-kilometer checkpoint and never looked back to win the penultimate stage of Ski Tour Canada, the women’s 10 k freestyle individual start in Canmore, Alberta. The Norwegian covered the challenging Canmore course in 23.20.1, besting her teammate and overall Tour leader Heidi Weng by 23.0 seconds. Finland’s Krista Parmakoski reached the podium in third (+24.5) while Norway’s Kari Øyre Slind was a tenth of a second off the podium in fourth. American Jessie Diggins rocketed to fifth (+32.6) ahead of Norway’s Therese Johaug, who sits in second in the Tour, after Johaug placed sixth (+40.1).

Also for the U.S., Sadie Bjornsen placed 17th (+1:25.0) and Caitlin Gregg was 19th (+1:26.9) on Friday, for 11th and 34th overall in the Tour, respectively. Chelsea Holmes was 22nd for her first World Cup top 30 (putting her 32nd overall), and Rosie Brennan was 31st, 0.8 seconds out of 30th (for 25th overall). Just over a week after her World Cup debut, Katharine Ogden placed 34th on Friday, ahead of Emily Nishikawa, who led the Canadian women in 35th (+2:11.3).

Four men in the top 24, two in the top 10, Alex Harvey back to fourth. Yep, it was that kind of day for Canada at the sixth stage of the Ski Tour Canada in Canmore, Alberta.

While Norway’s Martin Johnsrud Sundby won the 30-kilometer skiathlon to make a notable leap from fourth to third in the overall Tour standings, Harvey moved up as well (into fourth overall), leading the Canadians in seventh, 7.6 seconds behind Sundby.

The top seven men finished within 7.6 seconds of one another, and just 0.5 seconds separated fifth through seventh. Sundby sealed the win in 1:16:29.7 hours, just 2.8 seconds ahead of Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov — the Tour leader — in second. Finland’s Matti Heikkinen placed third (+3.7) for his best result since placing third in a World Cup skiathlon in January 2015 in Rybinsk, Russia.

Three other Norwegians made the top six, with Finn Hågen Krogh in fourth (+5.0), Didrik Tønseth in fifth (+7.1), and Hans Christer Holund in sixth (+7.4), just 0.2 seconds ahead of Harvey.

“Martin started pushing hard from the beginning, and that’s the way I wanted it,” Harvey said after the race. “I was hoping that one of the guys in front of me [in the overall standings] would have a rough day, and it happened to be [Norway’s Emil] Iversen. So it moved me up to fourth place. … I’m just focusing on staying in the top five.”

Previously third in the Tour, Iversen placed 17th on Wednesday to slip to fifth overall.

Canada’s Ivan Babikov raced to 10th (+16.9) for his first World Cup top 10 in more than two years. Graeme Killick was 19th (+1:34.2) and Devon Kershaw 24th (+2:14.2) for the host nation.

Noah Hoffman led the U.S. in 35th (+4:21.9). Erik Bjornsen placed 49th, Scott Patterson was 55th, and Tad Elliott was 58th.

Seven other Canadians stayed in the Tour, with Kevin Sandau in 40th, Lenny Valjas in 46th, Knute Johnsgaard in 47th, Russell Kennedy in 52nd, Andy Shields in 53rd, Michael Somppi in 54th, and Patrick Stewart-Jones in 57th.

Bob Thompson was lapped for Canada, ending his run in the Tour and placing 62nd on the day. Simon Lapointe did not start. For the U.S., Eric Packer (65th), Reese Hanneman (67th) and Brian Gregg (68th) were lapped as well.

American Jessie Diggins (6, in white) skis within a chase pack, which included Norway’s Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen (3), during the classic portion of Wednesday’s 15 k skiathlon at the sixth stage of the Ski Tour Canada in Canmore, Alberta. (Photo: Peggy Hung)

Heidi Weng keeps the Ski Tour Canada leader’s bib another day. At the end of the women’s 15-kilometer skiathlon on Wednesday, the sixth stage of the Tour, the Norwegian bested her teammate and biggest threat, Therese Johaug by 0.8 seconds at the line.

Weng won in 39:41.0 minutes, maintaining a 2.9-second lead on Johaug in the overall Tour standings. More than a minute back in third overall, teammate Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen reached the podium again in the skiathlon, placing third, 9.8 seconds after Weng.

Two seconds outside the top 10, American Jessie Diggins placed 11th (+42.8) and improved to fifth in the Tour (about a minute and 8 seconds behind Østberg in fourth) with two stages remaining.

Also for the U.S., Sadie Bjornsen tallied her eighth-consecutive World Cup top 20 in 16th (+1:35.3). In six stages of the Ski Tour Canada (STC) so far, she has finished 18th or better. Overall, she ranks 11th in the Tour.

Rosie Brennan was the third U.S. Ski Team member in the points, placing 25th (+2:24.0) for her season best.

The U.S. occupied 31st through 35th, with Caitlin Gregg (who missed the top 30 by 0.1 seconds) in 31st, Katharine Ogden in 32nd, Chelsea Holmes in 33rd, Annie Hart in 34th, and Ida Sargent in 35th.

Maiken Caspersen Falla hasn’t lost a classic sprint all season and she continued the streak on Tuesday in the final sprint of the 2015/2016 World Cup, the fifth stage of the Ski Tour Canada in Canmore, Alberta.

The Norwegian gave all she had on Canmore’s grueling 1.5-kilometer course to drop her competitors in the final on the second of two steep herringbone hills. With a gap over the top, she had the distance she needed to secure her fourth classic-sprint victory the season in 4:09.26 minutes, beating teammate Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen by 7.07 seconds at the line. Norway swept the podium with Ingvild Flugstad Østberg in third (+8.66).

Behind them, two Finnish skiers bested American Jessie Diggins in the last few hundred meters, with Krista Parmakoski placing fourth (+18.03) and Anne Kyllönen taking fifth (+19.07) ahead of Diggins in sixth (+21.96). For Diggins, it was her first time reaching the final in a classic sprint, and thus, a career best in that discipline.

Another U.S. Ski Team member, Sophie Caldwell raced in the same semifinal as Diggins, where Caldwell placed sixth and did not advance to the final. Overall, Caldwell finished the day in 11th.

A day after turning 22, Canada’s Dahria Beatty qualified in 29th and went on to place 15th overall for her first individual World Cup top 30 in her 13th World Cup start. Beatty finished third in her quarterfinal, behind Jacobsen (as the winner of that heat) and Germany’s Sandra Ringwald.

Two more American women reached the heats, with Sadie Bjornsen finishing in the top 20 in 18th, after taking fourth in her quarterfinal. Ida Sargent finished fifth in her quarterfinal for 22nd overall.

In the men’s 1.5 k classic sprint, Canada’s Lenny Valjas was the lone North American to advance to the heats.

After securing his first Sprint World Cup title in Quebec City (despite placing 21st in the Quebec freestyle sprint), Federico Pellegrino reached Tuesday’s final and edged Norway’s Eirik Brandsdal by 0.54 seconds of his first-ever classic sprint win in 3:46.33.

In his first sprint final, France’s Maurice Manificat placed third, 1 second behind Pellegrino. Manificat’s previous best in a World Cup sprint was eighth (in both a 2010 skate sprint and 2011 classic sprint).

Valjas reached the semifinals after qualifying in 18th and advancing as a lucky loser in third out of his quarterfinal. In his semi, he fought to keep pace with the group and skied near the back for most of the race, ultimately finishing sixth, 7.46 seconds behind Manificat as the winner of that heat. Overall, Valjas ended up 11th on the day for his second-best result of the season (he finished 10th in the classic sprint at the Tour de Ski stage in Oberstdorf, Germany).

CANMORE, Alberta — Let the betting begin. With five women topping the charts in Tuesday’s classic sprint qualifier, team Norway is taking no gamble as they head into the rounds.

Leading the women’s 1.5-kilometer classic sprint qualifier at the fifth stage of the Ski Tour Canada was Ingvild Flugstad Østberg of Norway in a time of 3:41.61. Second went to her teammate Maiken Caspersen Falla (+4.97) while Therese Johaug finished in third (+8.79).

Four American women qualified for Tuesday’s classic sprint in Canmore, led by Sophie Caldwell in ninth (+12.42). Sadie Bjornsen qualified in 11th (+13.35) and 1.23 seconds behind her was Jessie Diggins in 13th (+14.58). Ida Sargent was the final U.S. woman to qualify in 18th (+15.51).

Canada’s Dahria Beatty made it into the rounds in 29th (+18.95), the first Canadian to finish and only one to qualify.

The men’s 1.5 k classic sprint qualification was led by Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov in a time of 3:21.33. Second fastest qualifier time went to Norway’s Erik Brandsdal (+1.04), and third was Norwegian teammate Martin Johnsrud Sundby (+1:56).

Two Canadians qualified, including Alex Harvey in 14th (+5.41) and Len Valjas in 18th (+7.03).

No American men qualified for the heats.

“The snow slowed dramatically,” Chris Grover, U.S. head coach said during an in-person interview. “The later athletes weren’t glidingnearly as much as as the earlier ones.”

Wax testing on the final descent into the stadium during official training on Monday at the Canmore Nordic Centre in Canmore, Alberta. (Photo: Peggy Hung)

By Gerry Furseth

CANMORE, Alberta — Monday brought the first official training day at Canmore for the Ski Tour Canada. Warm and sunny conditions greeted the athletes, bringing smiles to a lot of faces after some cold weather in the first week.

The day started sunny and -2 degrees Celsius (28 Fahrenheit), quickly warming up as the day progressed. This is fairly typical March weather at Canmore: below freezing at night and above freezing during the day. Away from the course, most of the snow has melted, but the skiing is still good, especially in the morning with fast, slightly crusty, tracks.

Skiers head out on the course and into the opening climb out of the stadium during official training on Monday at the Canmore Nordic Centre in Canmore, Alberta. (Photo: Peggy Hung)

Almost all of the snow base is manmade; locals say that is what makes the trails so consistently firm this time of year. The Tuesday classic sprint, Wednesday skiathlon, and Friday skate distance races are all scheduled early enough to hit the prime conditions, with only the final pursuit on Saturday in the late afternoon.

The new sprint course looks like a lollipop with two laps around the head, with the start and finish sections are unchanged. It seems much more double pole friendly than the old course, especially with fast snow. Listening to the wax testing, it seemed as if people weren’t finding one perfect pair of skis for the whole sprint course. Picking the right part of the course to select skis for may turn out to be critical. For the men, choosing between classic and skate skis may be difficult.

The distance courses had highly varied conditions by the end of the afternoon. Some exposed sections at the bottom were nearly slush. The top of the course was still crusty and fast. The mid-elevation sections varied greatly by sun exposure, with crust, wet transformed snow, and sugar all represented. The final pursuit on Saturday afternoon is expected to have similar weather; if so, there could be some significant changes in standings.

The distance courses are hard, with long climbs at 1,400 meters (nearly 4,600 feet) elevation. Some skiers were looking tired after four races and a travel day, others were energized.

A light snowfall in Monday evening brought the first fresh snow in weeks.

The Stage 5 classic sprint begins at 10:30 a.m. Mountain time with the women’s qualifier, followed by the men’s qualifier at 11:10 a.m. Heats start at 1 p.m. MT.

Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov continued his consistent run atop the Ski Tour Canada (STC), maintaining a 17.7-second advantage over second place, Norway’s Petter Northug Jr. (+17.7) in Saturday’s 15-kilometer men’s skate race on the Plains of Abraham in Québec City.

Ustiugov completed the course in 34:31.8. Despite skiing alone and posting the 13th fastest time of the day, he maintained a consistent enough pace to hold off the second- and third-place skiers, Northug and teammate Emil Iversen. Iversen clung onto the third position, finishing +1:02.2 behind after starting only 25 seconds back.

Finishing in fourth was Canada’s Alex Harvey (+1:49.8), followed closely by overall World Cup leader, Norway’s Martin Johnsrud Sundby (+1:50.8). Sundby skied the fastest time of the day, finishing in 34:08.9.

In sixth was Norway’s Finn Hågen Krogh (+3:28.2).

Posting the fastest times of the day were Sundby, followed by Finland’s Matti Heikkinen (34:11.2), and Sweden’s Marcus Hellner (34:15.0).

Aside from Harvey, Canada’s Devon Kershaw was the only other North American to break the top 30 overall, finishing 21st (+4:22.8). The top American was Erik Bjornsen in 32nd (+5:28.3).

Weng completed the 10 k course in a time of 24:18.8, displacing Norwegian teammate, Therese Johaug from the front by one tenth of a second. Securing the all-Norwegian women’s podium in third (+1:05.2) was Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen. Behind Jacobsen in fourth was the current World Cup sprint leader, Maiken Caspersen Falla of Norway (+1:37.6).

“In all the hills, I was so tired, but I still thought ‘you should go for it,’” Weng said in a post-race interview with FIS.

American Jessie Diggins led the U.S. in fifth place (+1:48.1), breaking the Norwegian run after passing Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Østberg and yesterday’s sprint winner, Stina Nilsson of Sweden.

The second non-Scandinavian in the top 10 was American Sadie Bjornsen. Bjornsen finished in 10th (+2:49.6), behind Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla in ninth (+2:49.1) and Krista Parmakoski of Finland in eighth (+2:45.9).

Also scoring World Cup points for the U.S. was Liz Stephen, who finished in 29th (+5:44.7).

Canadian and Quebec native Alex Harvey (12) pushing to the finish of the men’s freestyle sprint final on Friday at the third stage of the Ski Tour Canada in Quebec City, where he placed second to France’s Baptiste Gros (not shown), while Norway’s Petter Northug (behind) placed fourth. (Photo: Flyingpointroad.com/NNF)

Amidst the hoots and hollers of his home crowd, Québec native Alex Harvey raced to a second place in the men’s 1.7-kilometer freestyle sprint on Friday in the third stage of the Ski Tour Canada in Québec City.

In the final, Harvey headed up against Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov, Norway’s Petter Northug, Poland’s Maciej Starega, and the two French skiers, Baptiste Gros and Richard Jouve. However, only Gros proved faster than the Canadian. Gros came from behind on the final stretch into the finish to win in 3:36.26, with Harvey crossing 0.55 hundredths of a second back. In third was Ustiugov, crossing0.79 hundredths of a second after Gros. Northug placed fourth (+1.91), Starega was fifth (+2.12) and Jouve sixth (+2.18). With the silver medal, Harvey moved into fourth in the overall Tour standings.

Simi Hamilton led the U.S. men in eighth, after finishing fourth in his semifinal. Canadian National Development Team skier Jess Cockney placed fifth in the other semifinal for 10th overall, his best result since breaking through in ninth in 2012 at the last Canadian World Cup in Canmore, Alberta

Two other U.S. Ski Team members made the men’s heats. Erik Bjornsen (U.S. Ski Team) ended up 20th after finishing fourth in his quarterfinal, and Andy Newell was 29th after finishing sixth in his quarterfinal.

***

In the women’s 1.5 k sprint, Sweden’s Stina Nilsson took the win in a time of3:37.15, besting Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla by eleven hundredths of a second. Rounding out the women’s podium was Norwegian Heidi Weng in third (+0.56).

Three U.S. women finished in the top 13 (and four in the top 20), with Sadie Bjornsen, the fastest qualifier of the day, ultimately placing eighth after finishing fourth in her semifinal. Sophie Caldwell reached the semifinals as well, where she finished fifth for 10th overall, and Jessie Diggins took 13th on the day after placing third in her quarterfinal. That puts Diggins seventh overall in the Tour. The fourth U.S. Ski Team member on Friday, Ida Sargent placed 20th after finishing fourth in her quarterfinal.

Stay tuned for more details and results in our comprehensive race recaps.

Sadie Bjornsen (U.S. Ski Team) racing to her first-ever qualifying win in a World Cup freestyle sprint on Friday at the third stage of the Ski Tour Canada in Quebec City. (Photo: Peggy Hung)

U.S. Ski Team member, Sadie Bjornsen setthe stakes high for the women’s 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint rounds, after she finished first in the qualifier on Friday at stage three of the Ski Tour Canada in Québec City, Québec.

Bjornsen completed the 1.5 k women’s course in a time of 3:42.81, for her best-ever qualifier in a World Cup freestyle sprint. Finishing eight-hundredths of a second behind Bjornsen’s time in second was Norway’s Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen. Another Norwegian Ingvild Flugstad Østberg, finished third, eight-tenths of a second off of Bjornsen’s winning time.

Along with Bjornsen, three other U.S. women qualified for the heats, including Jessie Diggins in fourth (+1.84), Sophie Caldwell in 22nd (+7.12), and Ida Sargent in 27th (+9.05). No Canadian women qualified, with Maya Macisaac-Jones the first female to finish for Canada in 34th (+10.51).

The men’s 1.7 k freestyle qualifier win went to Norway’s Finn Hågen Krogh in a time of 3:33.14. Norwegian teammate, Emil Iversen finished in second, 0.29 seconds back from Krogh’s time. In third was Italy’s Federico Pellegrino, 1.58 seconds off of Krogh’s first place finish.

Québécois favourite, Alex Harvey of Canada was the first North American qualifier in 12th (+4.63). Simi Hamiltonwas the top American in 13th, three-hundredths of a second behind Harvey (+4.66). U.S. ski team member Andy Newell qualified in 23rd (+7.77) and American Erik Bjornsen in 27th (+7.97). Canadian Jesse Cockney also qualified in 29th (+8.48).

Norway’s Emil Iversen celebrates his first distance World Cup victory and third-career World Cup win in the second stage of the Ski Tour Canada, the 17.5 k classic mass start on Wednesday in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

Get used to the name Emil Iversen, because this Norwegian is on a roll. On Wednesday the 24 year old won his first World Cup distance race at the second stage of the Ski Tour Canada in Montreal, Quebec, and he did so by 5.3 seconds over training partner and teammate Petter Northug.

Iversen won the 17.5-kilometer classic mass start in 45:05.4, besting Northug in second and Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov, who was 14.5 seconds behind in third.

“My goal before the Ski Tour Canada was to have a good start,” Iversen told FIS afterward. “I’m sitting in second place [overall behind Ustiugov]. Now I have to take stage by stage and we see what happens.”

“We had to fight hard against the wind and snow,” Northug told FIS. “Ustiugov did a lot of work in the lead. He was the strongest today. We can thank him for the high speed.”

Russia’s Andrey Larkov held off a large chase group into the finish, taking seventh (+1:07), ahead of Norway’s Hans Christer Holund in eighth (+1:15.5), Canada’s local favorite Alex Harvey in ninth (+1:16.4), and Russia’s Evgeniy Belov in 10th (+1:18.7).

Three Canadians finished in the points, with Devon Kershaw in 17th (+1:38.9) and Ivan Babikov in 29th (+2:32.1).

Therese Johaug isn’t used to starting a mass start in bib 27, but she made the best of it on Wednesday at the second stage of the Ski Tour Canada in Montreal, Quebec.

After placing 25th in the freestyle sprint at Stage 1 on Tuesday in Gatineau, Quebec, Johaug — Norway’s overall World Cup and distance World Cup leader — started the women’s 10.5-kilometer classic mass start several rows farther back than she’s used to. She usually starts first.

“Usually I start in the front, but no, I’m back and it’s a lot of people,” Johaug recalled in a post-race interview with FIS. “But I focused on myself today to do good technique. It was really cold and windy, but really nice to ski in Canada.”

After making her way to the front of the 72-woman pack early, Johaug successfully dropped everyone around 4 k. At the 4.6 k checkpoint, she had a 12-second gap on teammate Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen, who was skiing in second, 8 seconds ahead of another Norwegian, Heidi Weng, in third.

Striding and herringboning through fresh powder on Montreal’s 3.5 k course (on a blustery -7 degree Celsius day), Johaug went on to win by a minute over Weng in 30:05.6.

Weng outlasted Jacobsen for second place, 1:00.3 behind Johaug, while Jacobsen held on for third (+1:09.8).

The U.S. Ski Team’s Jessie Diggins (front) and Sadie Bjornsen find their pace during the second day of the Ski Tour Canada during the women’s 10.5 k classic mass start in Montreal. (Photo: Flyingpointroad.com/NNF)

Norway swept the top four with sprint specialist Maiken Caspersen Falla, Tuesday’s sprint winner, placing fourth (+1:42.0). Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland notched fifth, just 0.8 seconds behind Falla, and Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Østberg placed sixth (+1:43.0). Finland’s Kertu Niskanen was seventh (+1:43.3) and American Jessie Diggins eighth (+1:43.5), as fourth through eighth place all finished within 1.5 seconds of one another in a narrow set of finishing lanes at the top of a climb.

Two Finnish athletes rounded out the top 10, Anne Kyllönen in ninth (+1:47.4) and Krista Parmakoski in 10th (+1:51.0).

Four U.S. women finished in the points with Sadie Bjornsen in 16th (+2:04.2), Liz Stephen in 22nd (+2:44.3), and Rosie Brennan notching a season-best 28th (+3:05.8).

Hamilton posted the second-fastest time in the qualifier, 0.45 seconds behind Norwegian Petter Northug’s top time of 3:12.99. Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov qualified third, 0.78 seconds back from Northug.

Local favorite Alex Harvey, of Quebec, finished 15th in the qualifier, 4.18 seconds back, for his first time reaching the top 30 of a World Cup skate sprint this season. Erik Bjornsen of the U.S. advanced to the heats in 27th (+7.42), along with Canadian Knute Johnsgaard, of the Alberta World Cup Academy and Senior National Development Team, in 29th (+7.8).